1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to frame quilting machines which are large table-like structures used to sew patterns into large textile items; in particular bedspreads and quilts. The field of the present invention also relates to industrial sewing machine apparatus and processes used to sew patterns and stitching into large fabrics, which sewing operation is not easily performed on conventional sewing machines. The field of the present invention also relates to machines which include a method of duplicating a selected pattern over an entire bedspread or quilt utilizing specialized computer assisted drawing techniques.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Industrial sewing machine operations are known in the prior art. Patterns and stitching into fabrics is commonly performed on industrial sewing machines. The operator hand guides the fabric between the needle and the sewing machine table and the pattern is sewn into the fabric. This process is practical for small pieces of fabric and is commonly done on piece goods such as garments. When handling larger pieces of fabric such as a roll of fabric, a method known in the prior art is roll to roll sewing. The sewing machine head is located along an X-axis and the material is unwound from a roll and caused to move transverse to the sewing machine head such that the fabric moves along a Y-axis. The sewing machine sews a stitch into the large fabric as the head moving along the X-axis and the fabric moving along the Y-axis intersect each other. The fabric is then wound onto a second receiving roll.
When sewing a very large piece of fabric such as a bedspread or quilt, a frame quilting machine is used. The frame quilting machine comprises a large frame, usually made of metal, onto which the fabric to be sewn is spread. Commonly, the pattern is sewn by a sewing machine guided by a computer into which a predetermined pattern has been programmed. The fabric remains stationary on the frame and the sewing machine head moves along the fabric and stitches in the predetermined pattern.
The current method for computer programmable quilting patterns uses a digitizer/cursor board with a method of plotting patterns. It is also used in the design of patterns and is accomplished on a scaled down version of the patterns. Plotting is accomplished using a mouse for indexing points on an XY axis. The points are programmed and followed through use of the computer. The prior art uses standard patterns which are preprogrammed into the computer and selected individualized patterns which are created as the bedspread or quilt is on the machine. The prior art technique is both cumbersome and time consuming. A drawing of the object design to be sewn into the quilt is placed on a surface and a digitizing tablet is placed over the drawing. The pattern is digitized point by point by a cross-bar device and the point positions are recorded. At least 20 to 30 such digitized points must be made for even the simplest pattern. The digitized points are then converted into machine language and then put into an E-Prom. The pattern is encoded or "burned" into the E-Prom and the E-Prom chip is physically put into the computer. In addition to the time consuming nature of the task, the required physical handling of the E-Prom leads to the possibility that the chip can be damaged and the process must be started over again. In addition, if a small change is made in the pattern, then entire process must be started over again.
Sewing machines and various frame quilting apparatus and processes have previously been patented. The following is representative of the types of apparatus and processes which have been patented:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,893 issued to Shimazaki in 1980 for "Device of Detecting Cloth Feeding Amount In Sewing Machines".
2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,968 issued to Story in 1968 for "Material Holding And Guide Attachment For Sewing Machine".
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,364 issued to Maruyama et al. in 1984 for "Sewing Machine-Pattern Data Processor".
4. U.S. Pat. No. 1,958,893 issued to Kintner et al. in 1934 for "Photosensitive Apparatus".
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,181 issued to Gerber et al. in 1986 for "Fabric Flow Related System".
6. U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,777 issued to Kalning et al in 1970 for "Quilting Apparatus".
7. U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,710 issued to Landoni in 1973 for "Automatic Quilting Machine".
8. U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,184 issued to Cash in 1967 for "Quilting Machine Of The Endless Guide Track Type".
9. U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,116 issued to Mannel in 1985 for "Method And Arrangement To Control An Automatic Embroidery Machine".
10. U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,559 issued to Hirose in 1983 for "Programming System For A Sewing Machine".
11. U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,071 issued to Sadeh et al. in 1988 for "Automatic Sewing Machine With Scanning Camera System".
12. U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,405 issued to Resta et al in 1987 for "Quilting Machine With Relatively Moving Cloth Holder Carriage And Sewing Head".
U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,893 to Shimazaki discloses an apparatus for test running a pattern by matting the X-Y grid on an oscilloscope in order to test the pattern to be sure that the proper pattern is run before actual cloth is used (and wasted).
U.S. Pat. No. 1,958,893 to Kintner et al. discloses the use of a video camera in conjunction with a missile projecting apparatus. The camera has a photosensitive eye for regulating the activity of the apparatus, wherein the position of the photo-sensitive eye and the projecting device are so related that the missiles are projected in accordance with the position of the target.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,968 to Story illustrates a particular type of guiding apparatus for holding material and guiding it relative to the sewing machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,777 to Kalning et al. illustrates what is now the well known quilting machine with multiple sewing heads.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,184 to Cash illustrates a quilting machine which allows independent movement of the quilt holder in any direction. The machine is capable of sewing two or three reproductions of the same sewing line into the same quilt at the same time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,116 to Mannel discloses an automatic quilting machine wherein a video camera is used to pick up certain patterns of a motif carrier and transmit them to the sewing machine. Here, the pattern is automatic from a predetermined pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,710 to Landoni discloses an automatic quilting machine where the heads can be changed so that certain patterns of stitching paths can be alternated with one or more types of different patterns.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,364 issued to Maruyama involves a computer operated pattern input for a sewing machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,181 issued to Geber discloses a device to assist an operator in dealing with flaws encountered during the spreading of web material to be cut.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,559 issued to Hirosi discloses a sewing machine having a small X-Y movable table to move fabric relative to the sewing machine needle and an electronically controlled movement means.
None of the known prior art apparatus including those disclosed in the above patents enables an operator to individually hand sew an individual pattern into a large piece of fabric such as a bedspread or quilt while remaining at a remote position from the fabric. In present day operations, such hand sewn operations require the operator to physically be above the quilting table, which can be almost 12 feet square, and hand sew the pattern into the fabric. This is a very expensive and time consuming process. The only known apparatus for sewing patterns into the quilt is disclosed in the Mannel patent wherein a video camera is used to pick up certain patterns of a motif carrier and transmit them to the sewing machine. Here, the pattern is automatic from a predetermined pattern. More expensive and finer quilts and bedspreads are those which have individual patterns sewn into them and can be advertised as having "hand sewn" individual patterns. Therefore, there is a significant need for an apparatus and process which enables hand sewn individual patterns to be sewn into large fabrics such as quilts and bedspreads in an efficient manner where the worker or workers do not have to be guided above the large laid out fabric and hand sew the patterns into the fabric.
None of the prior art patents discloses an individualized reprogrammable computer used in conjunction with an individual selected hand sewn pattern wherein the pattern is first hand designed while the quilt and bedspread is on the frame and thereafter the hand designed individualized pattern is programmed into the computer to be repeated.
In addition, in the prior art, the computer controls all functions including the sewing functions of the machine, every stitch in the movement, and the X-Y movement function. This creates an extremely complex operation when it is necessary to reprogram the computer. None of the prior art embodiments selectively breaks down the three functions into individualizied computed program modes so that reprogramming of one element does not require reprogramming the entire system.
In addition, most sketching involves either free hand sketching by the operator or the utilization of a digitizer/cursor board with a method of plotting patterns. None of the prior art devices combine the features of the present invention with a specialized computerized aided design system to substantially reduce the labor and significantly increase the accuracy with which drawings are made for patterns to be stitched onto the fabric such as a quilt.